Artist&#39;s easel.



No. 878,549. PATBNTBD FEB. 11-, 1908. R. F. MAYNARD.

' ARTISTS EASEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13. 1907.

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RICHARD F. MAYNARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ARTISTS EASEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

Application filed March 13. 1907. Serial No. 362.104-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Rio HARD F. .MAYNARD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York, county of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artists Easels, of which the followin is a specification.

My invention re ates to improvements in the construction of artists easels, the object being to provide a convenient and compact form of easel specially adapted to support framed pictures as well as canvas stretchers, drawing boards and, generally, any surface for drawing or painting.

An important feature of the invention provides for en porting picture frames by a back-pull whici serves to hold the frame securely against the easel while permitting of convenient vertical adjustment. This may be accomplished without the necessity of additional attachments to the picture frames than the screw-eyes by means of which they are usually hung on walls.

The construction offers an especially ready means for placing the pictures upon and removing them from the easel.

The invention also involves a novel method of supporting a canvas by its stretcher when a picture frame is not used, and also other features which will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view showing the general structure of the easel with a picture frame in position; Fig. 2 shows the method of supporting a canvas; Fig. 3 shows a method of folding the easel; and Figs. 4 and 5 modifications.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 represent two vertical standards joined at the top by a cross-piece, 3, and at the bottom by a cross-piece, 4, making a rectangular frame. The standards 1 and 2 are carried by horizontal bars, 5 and 6, respectively, being fastened thereto by bolts 7 and S. Braces 9 and 10 are hinged in any convenient manner to one projection of the supports 5 and 6 respectively, the remaining ends of the braces being adjustably secured to the respective standards 1 and 2 by thumb-screws 11. These thumb-screws pass through longitudinal slots, 12, which permit the adjust ment of the entire frame to a more or less inclined position, and also permit the folding of the easel by turning the standards 5 and 6 upon their respective pivots 7 and S, as shown in Fig. 3.

A convenient way to fold the easel is to so hinge the braces 9 and 10 that they may be easily detached from the supports 5 and 6. In the drawing, I have represented hinges 13 from which the hinge bolt may be easily withdrawn when desired. Then by loosening the thumb-screws 11, the bars 9 and 10 may be turned upwards into the same plane as the standards, and the supports 5 and 6 may also be turned upon their respective bolts into the same plane.

Along the inner surfaces of the standards 1 and 2 grooves or runways 14, are cut, and within these grooves are fitted vertically moving bars or cross-pieces 15 and 16. These are provided respectively with pointed hooks, or equivalent devices, for conveniently fastening the canvas stretchers. The hooks 15 in the lower cross-piece 15 (see Fig. 2) are directed downward, and the hooks 16*, in the upper cross-piece 16, are directed upward. These hooks are intended to engage the inner edges of the top and bottom cross-piece of the canvas stretcher which will thus be held firmly against the face of the easel. In the drawing the stretcher is shown with the canvas removed, for convenience of illustration. The lower cross-piece 15 is freely vertically movable within the runways, while the upper cross-piece 16 is carried by a cord, 17, and pulleys 1S and 19, secured respectively to the cross-piece 16, and to the cross-bar 3. The position of the cross-piece 16 may thus be readily adjusted by means of the cord 17 which may be fastened in a jam cleat or other convenient device 20, secured to the back of the cross-piece 16 or other suitable place. The end of the cord 17 may be fastened to the bar 15, for conveniently lifting it.

For conveniently adjusting the easel to re ceive picture frames, the cross-piece 16 may be withdrawn from its engagements with the grooves 14 by raising it to its uppermost limit where one or both of the slots are cut away through one face of the standard as shown at 21. The cross-piece 16 may then be rested against the back of the standards 1 and 2, as shown in Fig. 1.

Suitable chains or cords, 23, are adj ustably secured to hooks, 24, carried by the cross bar 16, and these chains are provided with snaphooks, 25, or other convenient means for attachment to screw-eyes ordinarily fastened in the back of the picture frame. The crosspiece 16 may be placed at any convenient ively obtaining this back-pull or strain that height for attaching the chains to the picture, 5 whereupon by simply drawing upon the cord l 17, the cross-piece may be raised and the picture frame thus lifted into position by means of the pulleys. The lower cross-piece also serves to prevent lateral movement of the picture by causing the hooks 15 to engage the stretcher. The chains passing from the back of the vertical standards 1 and 2, 1 hold the picture back securely against the easel in its proper position. In case the distance between the screw-eyes on the picture frame is less than the distance between the standards 1 and 2, the chains may pass inside these standards. The distance between the oints of attachment of the chains and the front face of the easel, should. be sufficient to afford a back-pull which holds the frame of the picturefirmly against the face of the easel. In practice I have found that if the standards 1 and 2 are about two and one half or three inches wide very satisfactory results are obtained. It is for the purpose of more effectthe cr0ss-piece 16 is removed from the runway and rested against the back of the easel. The adj ustability of the lengths of the chains adapts them to the requirements of pictures of various sizes.

From the foregoing it will be understood that when a canvas stretcher is to be supported the cross bar 16 is placed. in the runways and the hooks 16 engage the under side of the upper portion of the stretcher so that it is supported by its upper end instead of being supported by a shelf or equivalent means at the bottom as heretofore customary. The lower cross piece 15 holds the stretcher against the easel frame and prevents lateral movement and moves up or down freely as the upper cross-piece is adjusted. This arrangement is desirable as it leavesthe front of the canvas entirely unobstructed by projecting clamps or shelves.

In Fig. 4, I have illustrated a modification in which the upper cross-bar 16 is not re moved from the runways for the purpose of using it for supporting a picture frame, but an additional cross-bar, 29, rests against the back of the standards 1 and 2, and it may if desired be fastened to the cross-bar 16, by brackets or other convenient means as indicated at 30. The hooks for carrying the ad justable chains may then be placed in this supplemental cross-bar which may project to or beyond the outer edges of the standards so as to hold the chains entirely free from the edges of the standards when the picture is of such width as to require the chains to pass outside rather than between the standards. The supplemental cross bar may also be provided with a hook or an eye 31, for the convenient attachment of the pulley block.

It will be further understood that this additional cross-piece may be detachably fastened to the cross-piece 16 either when the latter is in the runways or when it rests against the back of the easel, or it may not be connected with cross-piece 16 at all but entirely removable when not required, suit able means being provided to prevent lateral motion. There may be several such additional cross-pieces of various lengths suitable for unusually wide pictures such as mural decorations.

In some instances it may be desired to employ a shelf for supporting a surface for drawing or painting in the customary manner. In such cases cross-pieces 15 and 16 may be removed from the runways and returned in interchanged positions so that whereas crosspiece 16 was the upper it now becomes the lower. A shelf, 26, (Fig. 5) may be tempo rarily attached to the then lower cross-piece '16 by hooks 28, or the hooks alone withoutthe shelf may be used as a support, or the shelf maybe attached in any other convenient manner to the cross-piece 16.

In case it is desired to have the cross pieces 15 and 16 in their normal relative positions and not interchange them, it will be necessary to independently support the lower cross-piece 15. This may be done conveniently by detaching the block or pulley from the upper cross-piece and fastening it to the hook in the lower cross-piece.

It will be understood that various changes in sizes and proportions of the easel may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and additional braces may be employed if and as desired. For instance the corner brackets shown at 26 at the upper corners may be replaced or supplemented by bars extending across.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An artists easel comprising a vertical frame, an adjustable support vertically movable with reference to the frame, flexible connections secured to the support and adapted to extendlforward for attachment to a picture frame, whereby a back-pull is exerted upon the picture frame and the latter is held against the easel.

2. An artists easel comprising a rectangular vertical frame having slots or runways upon the inner faces of the vertical sides, a freely moving cross-piece in said runways, a second cross-piece adjustably supported within said runways, and an opening into one of the runways through which the last named cross-piece may be removed.

3. An artists easel comprising a rectangular frame, upper and lower vertically movable cross-pieces, adjustable means for supporting the upper cross-piece, means for at taching a picture thereto, and means for attaching the lower cross-piece to the picture.

iifii An artists easel comprising vertical standards having runways upon their inner surfaces, two independent vertically movable cross-pieces fitting therein, means for attaching the cross-pieces to the top and bottom respectively of a picture frame, and

means for adjusting the height of the upper' of said cross-pieces.

5. An artists easel comprising vertical standards having runways upon their inner surfaces, two independently vertically movable cross-pieces, a cord and pulley attached to the upper of said cross-pieces, means for detaching either a canvas stretcher or a picture frame thereto, and means for attaching the lower one of said cross-pieces to the canvas stretcher.

6. A folding easel comprising the vertical standards having runways and sliding crosspieces fitting within the runways, transverse supports for the standards pivoted to the lower ends of the standards, adjustable braces for fastening the standards and the supports in definite relative positions, and means for detaching one end of each of the braces and turning the supports and the braces all into the same plane as the vertical sides.

7. An artists easel comprising .the rectangular frame formed of the vertical parts 1, 2, and the transverse parts 3 and 4, the independent adjustable cross-pieces 15 and 16 fitting into the parts 1 and 2, the supports 5 and 6 at the lower ends of the parts 1 and 2, and adjustable braces 9 and 10, respectively extending between the vertical parts 1 and 2, and the parts 5 and 6 respectively.

8. An artists easel comprising the rectangular frame formed of the vertical parts 1,

2, and the transverse parts 3 and 4., the adjustable cross-pieces 15 and 16 fitting into the parts 1 and 2, the supports 5 and 6 carrying the parts 1 and 2, the adjustable chains 23 carried by the cross-piece 16 for suiting the width of the picture frame to bc supported.

9. In an artists easel, the combination of a supporting frame having a vertically movable cross-piece, and adjustable flexible supports secured thereto and extending from the back of the easel towards the front for the purpose of attachment to a picture frame and for exerting a back-pull thereon, substantially as and for the purpose described.

10. In an artists easel, the combination of the vertically movable cross-pieces, means for adjustably supporting the upper cross piece, upwardly projecting hooks in the upper cross-piece, and downwardly projecting hooks in the lower cross-piece for engaging the inner edges of a canvas stretcher.

11. In an artists easel, the combination of the two independently vertically movable cross-pieces, means for adjustably supporting one of them independently of the other, and a shelf detachably secured thereto.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 12th day of March, A. D. 1907.

RICHARD F. MAYNARD.

Witnesses CHARLES A. TERRY, M. H. OAPEL. 

